Sleep - Hudson, WI

My son is the same way. He has two "robot friends" that have recently moved in with us. We set aside a place for them in the living room with their pillows and blankets (from the spares we keep in the linen closet for guests).

Each night we tuck them in, brush our teeth, then go read story and lights out. My husband and I go to our room shortly thereafter. (We don't sleep that early, but usually fold laundry, watch tv, etc). We frequently have to remind him a half hour later that it's bed time, but we're slowly making bedtime five minutes earlier each night, and this is helping as days go by. After only two weeks, we're noticing a huge improvement. He's not being naughty or anything, he just has an active imagination, which you can't click off like you can click off the light. :)

If it progresses and is starting to affect his performance at school, his attitude, appetite or things like that, talk to his pediatrician, it could be medical; but right now it sounds like he's just a kid with a great imagination. (which is a good thing) :) Good luck! Let us know how things turn out!

Talk to your doctor about if he/she feels melatonin is an option to try.

Sounds to me like he is overly exhausted, thats why he is having a hard time settling down. He may need to learn how to fall asleep. I like the idea of the imaginery friend sleeping in a seperate room. The imaginary friends are very real for them.
Make a bedtime routine, with a story or the events of the day, prayers, etc. No TV as this just makes it worse.

Tell him that if he and his friend do not stop talking they will need to sleep in seperate rooms. I know it sounds funny, but to kids imaginary friends are real and help them through the toughest times. Be stern with him about why bedtime is important and in order for him and his friend to grow they need to sleep. In order for that to happen, if they are not asleep by such and such time then the friend will need to go to another room.
Good luck!!
R.

You could try reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.

Theres a section on dealing with younger kids and this type of situation. But although your son is 6, I'd suggest reading all the way from the beginning to understand where the book is coming from.

My daughter is 5 and the exact same way. She had a imaginery friend/pet at age 3 which is no longer a issue. But she will lay in bed and talk to herself, and sing and keep herself awake, she's not naughty she just won't fall asleep she will lay there for 3+ hours and not fall asleep or get out of bed. She won't settle down until I settle down. So to make my life easier I know it's a bad habit I let her sleep with me or she falls asleep on the couch with me and I carry her to her room. She get's wilder and wilder the more tired she is. Most people are like oh is she on a sugar high and I'm like no she's exhausted but making herself stay awake. She has been like this since infancy. Well kindergarten started two days ago. She went to bed the night before her first day at 1am and woke up at 6am so excited. I thought I was gonna die from sleep deprivation. Last night was better she was tired at 8pm but of course fought it and finally fell asleep at 11pm. I am hoping she can be normal and go to bed eventually at 8 or 9pm regularily because it's killing me. She was a weird baby with sleep she has always loved to sleep late late in the morning sometimes into the afternoon and didn't matter what time she went to bed or if a nap was done during the day. She has been in several daycare centers where they're on a strict schedule and she was still a night owl. The only advise I have is take him to bed with you and pretend that your sleeping for 5-10min maybe he'll get bored and fall asleep and carry him to his bed. It's a bad habit but for me atleast we both get some sleep. I use to always talk to my daughter's imaginery friends and pets I talked to them as if they really existed and would play along and tell her to go get them they needed to come with us in the car or whatever. You could try and play that too and tell him to put his imaginery friend to bed somewhere other thant where your child is sleeping. My daughter's imaginery friend was Oliver and we never knew anyone by that name. She also had a squirell's too. One day at she claimed to have left her imaginery squirrel at daycare and cried all the way home. I thought it was hilarious but never laughed in front of her.